tone
n. countablen. the general mood or feeling of a piece of writing, a conversation, or a person's voice. It shows the attitude of the person speaking or writing.
n. the quality or character of a piece of writing, speech, or music that conveys a specific attitude or emotional state. Often used in literary analysis to describe the author's stance toward the subject matter.
The manager's tone was firm but fair during the meeting.
The author uses a sarcastic tone to criticize the government's new environmental policy.
While the plot of the novel is tragic, the narrator maintains a surprisingly whimsical tone that creates a sharp contrast with the heavy themes.
From Middle English ton, tone, from Latin tonus (“sound, tone”) (possibly through Old French ton), from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “strain, tension, pitch”), from τείνω (teínō, “to stretch”). Doublet of tune, ton, tonos, and tonus.
From Middle English tone, ton, toon, from the incorrect division of thet one (“the/that one”). Compare Scots tane in the tane; see also tother.
Often takes the preposition 'of' to describe the specific mood, such as 'a tone of voice' or 'a tone of authority'.